Loyola Chicago Ramblers

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers hold a special place in college basketball history as the city's only Division I national champion, playing home games at Joseph J. Gentile Arena. Maroon and gold basketball carries the legacy of a groundbreaking 1963 title team and a Cinderella 2018 Final Four run that captured the nation's attention. The Ramblers' identity blends historic significance with modern mid-major overachievement. Chicago's college basketball scene has no bigger underdog story than Loyola. The program now competes in the Atlantic 10 after decades built in the Missouri Valley and Horizon League.

Loyola Chicago won the 1963 NCAA national championship, defeating two-time defending champion Cincinnati in overtime behind All-American Jerry Harkness, on a team celebrated for breaking basketball's unofficial color barrier by regularly starting four Black players. The Ramblers remain the only Illinois school to win a Division I men's national title. In 2018, an 11-seed Loyola squad rode a Cinderella run all the way to the Final Four, its first national semifinal appearance since 1963. The Ramblers have since become a consistent NCAA Tournament threat, moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2022.